NBA final day: Oklahoma City Thunder clinch Western Conference top seed for play-offs
- Oklahoma City Thunder secures the top seed in the Western Conference on NBA’s final day, setting the stage for an electrifying playoff run. Catch all the thrilling action as the Thunder aim for championship glory
On the last day of the NBA regular season, the Oklahoma City Thunder resolved a historic matchup for the top spot in the Western Conference.
After 81 games at the top of their respective conferences, three teams in the NBA shared the same record for the first time.
The Thunder secured the top spot going into the play-offs by crushing the Dallas Mavericks 135-86.
In addition to winning to guarantee the second seed, the Minnesota Timberwolves fell short of their opponents, the Denver Nuggets.
Thunder defeated Dallas, who rested the majority of their starters, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scoring 15 points in just 15 minutes. The Thunder had already secured their play-off spot, sitting fifth in the Western Conference.
As a result, Oklahoma City finished first in their conference for the first time since the 2012–13 campaign, finishing the regular season with a 57–25 record and a five-game winning streak.
Denver tied the team record most victories (57–25) with a 126–111 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Thunder prevailed due to a head-to-head tie-breaker.
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After the Pelicans’ 124-108 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns advanced past New Orleans to claim the sixth position in the Western Conference, forcing Minnesota to settle for the third slot.
This means that Phoenix will automatically qualify for the playoffs, while New Orleans will need to win two games in the play-in round this week in order to advance.
For the majority of the Eastern Conference, where the Boston Celtics had won handily, things were as they were. With Payton Pritchard posting a career-high 38 points, they defeated the Washington Wizards 132-122 despite resting the most of their players and ending with the NBA’s best record (64-18).
The Miami Heat were one win behind the Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, and Philadelphia 76ers as they entered the last day at a level of 46–35.
The 76ers and Heat must compete in the play-in tournament because all of them won on Sunday and are now ranked from seeds five to eight.
Nevertheless, Jalen Brunson scored forty points as the New York Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls 120-119 in overtime, displacing the Milwaukee Bucks, who were crushed 113-88 by the Orlando Magic, to claim the second spot.
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